Cay Sal ()Derrotero de las islas Antillas, de las costas Tierra-Firme, y las del Seno Mejicano, Dirección de Hidrografía, España, Madrid, Imprenta Nacional, 1837. p. 266 is a small island in the Cay Sal Bank between Florida, Cuba, and the Bahamas. It is no longer inhabited.
The Bahamas have an agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard to regularly fly over Cay Sal and other islands in the bank to look for people potentially stranded there. Geography Cay Sal is the main island in the southwestern zone of the Cay Sal Bank. It is in length and in area. Cay Sal is located approximately 30-32 miles (50-54 kilometers) north of the island nation of Cuba. Cay Sal is also located about 55 miles (88 kilometers) south of Florida.
The island is covered with stunted palm trees and marked by several dilapidated buildings standing on its western side. In its interior there is a large salt pond commonly replenished by heavy wind-driven seas that broach the islet along its southwest side.
History According to Spanish navigators the island had a few natural salt pans producing good, clean salt, and its leeward side provided an excellent anchorage as well.
From the 1960s to late 1970s the Royal Bahamas Defence Force kept a small outpost on Cay Sal island, which also had an airstrip.Cay Sal Bank Lighthouse: A Stately Ruin Another island in the banks, Elbow Cays, has a lighthouse built in 1839 by the British.Cay Sal Bank Lighthouse: A Stately Ruin
The United States Coast Guard constantly monitors Cay Sal and nearby islands for refugees from Cuba.Rome News-Tribune - Apr 19, 1964 Cay Sal is about thirty miles away from Cuba.Rome News-Tribune - Apr 19, 1964 Refugees rescued on the island have included pregnant women and children. Refugees are reported to have employed a variety of craft including small, ill-equipped boats, in spite of the possibility of pursuit by the Cuban military.Rome News-Tribune - Apr 19, 1964
In 2023, the Coast Guard rescued a man who had been stranded on the island for three days.
See also Cay Sal Airport References
External links Abandoned Cay Sal